Books without chains
Probably for most of us books and magazines are such a common part of our lives that we have lost all sense of wonder that we should have daily in our hands one of the most amazing tools invented by civilized man for his service. We cannot easily stand back and see in perspective all the varied contributions which books make to our enjoyment, our daily business, our scientific and cultural advancement and our education – nor is it easy, even for UNESCO which has a duty to do this, to understand all the problems which the making and distribution of books pose to the modern world.
Since man first set downhis his thoughts in writing – on clay tablets or papyrus, on bamboo or silk scrolls – he has sought to collect and preserve his writings for posterity. The idea of a library must be almost as old as civilization itself, and the story of libraries is the story of thought and knowledge recorded, preserved and made available for use.
Learn more about these fortresses of recorded knowledge in the UNESCO Courier.
